Louis Pasteur, Conqueror of Disease

About the Author & Lesson

E.H. Carter: An author known for documenting the lives of pioneers and significant figures who shaped the modern world.

The Lesson: This chapter highlights the life of Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist. Unlike a traditional soldier, Pasteur was a "fighter" who battled diseases caused by bacteria. His groundbreaking work on yeast, the process of pasteurization, and the development of vaccines for anthrax and rabies saved countless lives. The story emphasizes Pasteur's tireless dedication to humanity, his simple nature, and his belief that science should be a tool for peace and the progress of welfare.

I. Comprehension Questions (Brief Answers)

Answer: Though Louis Pasteur did not join the army to become a soldier, he was a fighter because he fought against various diseases through his discoveries about bacteria.

Answer: Bacteria are vegetable organisms—tiny living creatures that can be found in the air, water, and soil, and can sometimes cause diseases.

Answer: Pasteur used to sit for hours, quite silent and motionless, thinking hard about difficult problems. When he found a solution, his tired face would brighten with pleasure and excitement, and he would rush to tell his wife and assistants.

Answer: Pasteur discovered that yeast was alive and made up of tiny living cells. When these cells were healthy, the yeast acted well, but if they were diseased, the yeast (and the beer it was used in) went wrong.

Answer: It was a belief held by some scientists that germs had no parents but simply occurred or "spawned" by themselves.

Answer: No. Pasteur believed that germs were carried in the air and infected things that came into contact with them.

Answer: Bottles opened in a hotel bedroom went completely mouldy (many germs); bottles opened in a field were somewhat mouldy; bottles opened on a high mountain had no germs at all. This proved that pure mountain air is free of germs compared to stale air.

Answer: Pasteurization is the process of heating wine, milk, or other liquids to a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees centigrade to make the germs harmless, then sealing them to prevent new germs from entering.

Answer: Vaccination involves introducing live organisms into the body to generate immunity (used for viral diseases like smallpox). Inoculation is the introduction of weak or dead organisms to produce immunity (used for bacterial diseases like typhoid).

Answer: Rabies is a dangerous disease of dogs and mammals caused by a virus transmitted through saliva to humans, causing madness and convulsions.

Answer: One is the law of blood and death, which seeks violent conquests and new methods of destruction. The second is the law of peace, work, and health, which aims to deliver man from disasters. Pasteur favored the second law.

Answer: He told them to first ask, "What have I done for my education?" and then, "What have I done for my country?" so that they might eventually feel the supreme happiness of having contributed to the welfare of humanity.

II. Close Study (Extracts)

a) What did Pasteur believe?
Answer: He believed germs were carried in the air and infected things they touched.

b) Which of the two was called 'spontaneous generation'?
Answer: The belief that germs occurred by themselves without parents.

c) How did Pasteur prove he was right?
Answer: Through his soup bottle experiments in different environments (hotel, field, and mountain).

a) What was the son referred to?
Answer: A young boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog.

b) Why was he sure to die?
Answer: At that time, there was no known cure for rabies once a person was bitten.

c) Did Pasteur cure the boy? How?
Answer: Yes, Pasteur inoculated the boy with weak rabies germs, and the boy recovered.

III. Paragraph Writing (Detailed Analysis)

Answer: While studying Anthrax, Pasteur found that a cow could not get the disease twice. He wondered if he could make a cow or a person "just a little ill" with a weak version of the germ to make them safe or immune for the future. By giving animals weak, old germs, he proved they could be protected against much stronger attacks of the same disease.

Answer: Pasteur was an "all-round" scientist whose research was entirely dedicated to helping fellow human beings. He had no interest in fame or money. He was compassionate, sincere about solving problems, and simple and child-like in sharing his excitement over new discoveries with his family and colleagues.

Answer: The wine-growers were troubled by a germ that turned their wine sour. Pasteur showed them that by heating the wine to 50 or 60 degrees centigrade, the harmful germs were rendered harmless. This process, known as Pasteurization, saved the industry.

Answer: Before Pasteur’s discovery, rabies was a terrifying death sentence. Many people died in agony from convulsions and madness after being bitten by infected animals. Pasteur’s successful inoculation of an infected boy changed the fate of rabies victims, transforming a certain death into a treatable condition.